07/07/2003

Fires break out at prison following rooftop protest

Several fires have broken out at Maghaberry Prison one week after inmates held a rooftop protest over cell space at the high-security facility.

The first blaze broke out at 8pm on Friday night, and a number of fire crews were called to deal with the incident. A second fire was also extinguished, with the incidents affecting a dining room and one of the wings of the prison.

The events follow a protest by prisoners exactly a week before, where eight people climbed onto the roof of the jail and refused to come down until late on Saturday afternoon. It is thought that their protest involved a complaint about sharing cell space, but the Northern Ireland office has stated that four of the men involved were already occupying single cells.

At the same time, Army bomb experts were called to the prison to deal with a suspect device which was later revealed to be a hoax. A crowd of around 30 people brandishing loyalist banners and flags gathered in front of the prison, disbanding at around midnight.

(CL)

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